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PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF DR HERMANN RÖCHLING (1929-2020) SOLD TO BENEFIT THE ACQUISITION FUND OF THE STAATLICHE KUNSTHALLE KARLSRUHE (LOTS 171 & 213) These paintings are being sold to benefit the Staatliche Kunsthalle in Karlsruhe, Germany, selected from the collection bequeathed to the museum by the late Dr. Hermann Röchling (1929-2020) of Baden Baden. Dr. Röchling, who began collecting art in the early 1990s, was recognised as a major benefactor and art donor to the museum. Dr. Hermann Röchling was a committed proponent of the Washington Principles, financially supporting provenance research undertaken by the museum and, on an ad hoc basis, providing funds to enable the institution to re-acquire works of art that were successfully restituted. The late Dr. Hermann Röchling was a well-respected economist and academic and promoted music and the arts through his Fontana Stiftung.All proceeds from this sale will benefit the museum.

FOLLOWER OF SIR PETER PAUL RUBENS

The Descent from the Cross

Details

FOLLOWER OF SIR PETER PAUL RUBENS
The Descent from the Cross
oil on canvas
20 x 13 ¼ in. (50.6 x 33.5 cm.)

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Lucy Speelman Junior Specialist, Head of Part II

lspeelman@christies.com +44 207 752 3074

Lot Essay

This small, spirited oil sketch is loosely derived from the central panel of the immensely influential triptych by Sir Peter Paul Rubens, commissioned by the Antwerp Civic Guard (the Arquebusiers) in 1611 for their altar in the city's cathedral, where it remains today. The composition inspired numerous artists working throughout northern Europe to create variations on the theme, expanding on Rubens' dynamic arrangement of the scene's protagonists. In the present work, the figure of St John the Evangelist at lower centre mirrors the pose of his Rubensian counterpart; enrobed in vivid red, his back unnaturally contorted as he struggles to bear the weight of Christ's body.

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